MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Small CBD and Delta-8 stores are feeling frustrated as the West Virginia Department of Agriculture warns consumers against selling illegal hemp products in the state.
The department released a statement that cannabis-infused edibles are packaged to look like popular foods and candies and some vendors are claiming their products are Delta-8 when they are actually unnatural cannabinoid products. .
“That means people are adding an oxygenated active to these Delta-8 distillates or different products and everything to make them synthetically stronger,” said Nick Marie, owner of Morgantown’s first CBD and Delta-8 bar, Buddy’s Bud. Co.
The 2018 federal farm bill legalized all derivatives of the hemp plant up to a Delta-9 THC content of 0.3%. Delta-9 and Delta-8 are very similar. Marie explains the difference because Delta-8 has one less oxygen atom. He said they are so similar that you will get a relatively similar effect from both, but the feelings will be stronger with Delta-9.
“It makes about 33% less psychoactive. So is there a difference? Yeah. It’s not as strong as what you get from a medical dispensary,” Marie said in her very simplified version of the difference between the molecular structure of the product for Delta-8 and Delta-9.
Marie said warnings like these from the WVDA are “incredibly frustrating” for people who want to get it right.
“It’s a thriving industry that already comes with a pretty harsh stigma and then you have people doing things like that that make it a little bit harder,” Marie said.
Marie is not very concerned about the warning as he said he has already taken the necessary precautions to ensure the safety of his products.
For Buddy’s Bud Co., Marie works directly with farms where the products are of natural origin. Its lab testing ensures customers get a “100% hemp-derived product.”
Marie said these farms are held to much higher standards than wholesalers because the Department of Agriculture recommends far more testing of products to ensure they are exactly what they claim to be.
“If one of these farms misses its chances, it’s over. Not only are they incarcerated, but they lose their license, they get fined and everything. That’s why I’ll only cover these three farms, because they totally meet the highest standards,” said Marie.
Marie has lab tests ready to provide her clients whenever they ask to see them. These tests can be cross-referenced with the tests on the farm’s websites. He goes even further personally.
“I’m not afraid to do, and have done, random inspections on my farms where I pop up out of nowhere and I’m like ‘hey, let me see exactly what’s going on’ and every time it’s It’s the same thing because they started doing it the right way and they’re going to keep doing it the right way,” Marie said.
Marie said that most of the time there is a clear distinction between feelings after taking a Delta-8 product and another THC product.
“It’s very well known that Delta-8 is a lot less in the head, causing a lot less anxiety. So if you try a certain product that’s been mislabeled, okay, you’ll know because it’s going to hit you much stronger,” he said of the effects of Delta-8 on adults. “It’s not like someone expects a shot of vodka and ends up having a glass of grain alcohol where he could potentially get seriously ill and have to go to the doctor or something Realistically you’re just going to fall asleep and wake up and think “oh my god, I never want to do this again that”.
However, feelings vary depending on the person’s experience and level of tolerance to the products, Marie explained.
“The reality is that nobody wants to go through this, so it is important that we take the necessary steps to ensure that no one has to go through this, that the dosages are recommended. Let things be labeled correctly and please just be compliant,” he said.
The WVDA warns of effects on children if they ingest these products.
“Children who may ingest these products could experience a variety of delayed symptoms upon ingesting cannabis edibles, including but not limited to difficulty breathing, lethargy, dizziness, nausea and loss of coordination. Products found in West Virginia outlets have legal Delta-8-THC stickers affixed to the California symbol for recreational marijuana and the government’s controlled substances warning,” a WVDA statement said.
Buddy’s Bud Co. received the WVDA warning which was sent to stores across the state. Marie encourages more places, like hers, to keep their products safe and heed the WVDA warnings.
“Not only are they putting people at risk, but they’re putting other business owners at risk for their own gain,” Marie said of people who violate the warning. “It’s incredibly frustrating for people who want to get it right, compared to others who just want to manipulate the system and make a quick buck.”
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